Background
The aftermath of the World War II was revolutionary for the American society on various fronts. Economically, socially, and politically, the country underwent rampant changes that greatly contributed to the current state of American society. Economically, the country experienced an unmatched growth with meteoric rises in the Gross Domestic Products and the Per Capita Income between 1945 and 1960 (Hanchett, 1996). The country also witnessed the industrial boom era that increased the productivity of the country. Other experiences included Americans acquiring TV sets and FM radios, tape recorders and long-playing records between 1947 and 1957 as seen in the US News & World Report of 1957. In fact, the number of households with TV sets …show more content…
There was a rise in both the Gross Domestic Product of the country and the Per Capita Income (Ocampo, 2007). The country recorded a 250% rise in the GDP between 1945 and 1960. Similarly, the Per Capita Income grew by 35% on that occasion, propelling the country into a very stable economic position. Furthermore, 60% of the American workers joined the middle income class indicating a shift in the standards of living of the people in the United States. In fact, the Economic Report of the President indicated that the Gross National Product doubled between 1946 and …show more content…
On this occasion, the country was faced with many challenges socially and diplomatically. Amid this social turmoil, the popular culture brought a relatively new and carefree dimension to the social cultural lives of the people of the United States (Mitman, 1992). Notably, the 1950’s gave rise to a generation characterized by a culture of rebels on various fronts. The ‘free-thinking’ notion gave rise to rebels through music, acting, and even writing (Hanchett, 1996). This shift in the paradigm brought about a generation of young and middle aged people who challenged mainstream cultural values on all fronts. It even became normal for people to strike if denied service as Martin, Patterson and Mark (1960) did when they were refused service at an F.W Woolworth luncheon counter. This happened because there were tens of millions of Americans who were poor in the US, and their numbers were becoming increasingly visible despite the glamour of the 1950’s (Harrington,
The aftermath of the World War II was revolutionary for the American society on various fronts. Economically, socially, and politically, the country underwent rampant changes that greatly contributed to the current state of American society. Economically, the country experienced an unmatched growth with meteoric rises in the Gross Domestic Products and the Per Capita Income between 1945 and 1960 (Hanchett, 1996). The country also witnessed the industrial boom era that increased the productivity of the country. Other experiences included Americans acquiring TV sets and FM radios, tape recorders and long-playing records between 1947 and 1957 as seen in the US News & World Report of 1957. In fact, the number of households with TV sets …show more content…
There was a rise in both the Gross Domestic Product of the country and the Per Capita Income (Ocampo, 2007). The country recorded a 250% rise in the GDP between 1945 and 1960. Similarly, the Per Capita Income grew by 35% on that occasion, propelling the country into a very stable economic position. Furthermore, 60% of the American workers joined the middle income class indicating a shift in the standards of living of the people in the United States. In fact, the Economic Report of the President indicated that the Gross National Product doubled between 1946 and …show more content…
On this occasion, the country was faced with many challenges socially and diplomatically. Amid this social turmoil, the popular culture brought a relatively new and carefree dimension to the social cultural lives of the people of the United States (Mitman, 1992). Notably, the 1950’s gave rise to a generation characterized by a culture of rebels on various fronts. The ‘free-thinking’ notion gave rise to rebels through music, acting, and even writing (Hanchett, 1996). This shift in the paradigm brought about a generation of young and middle aged people who challenged mainstream cultural values on all fronts. It even became normal for people to strike if denied service as Martin, Patterson and Mark (1960) did when they were refused service at an F.W Woolworth luncheon counter. This happened because there were tens of millions of Americans who were poor in the US, and their numbers were becoming increasingly visible despite the glamour of the 1950’s (Harrington,